Addison's Anatomy?

What the hell did I just watch? That was not a Grey's Anatomy 2-hour special event; That was a ploy for ABC to plug Kate Walsh's new spinoff.

Seriously. What happened on Grey's this week can be summed up in 3 short (but gramatically complete and correct) sentences: Burke and Yang compromise over their marriage plans. Izzy and George's relationship escalates. Meredith's father's girlfriend dies (girlfriend, wife?). That's it.

Then there's the set up for Addison's spinoff. All of a sudden we meet 3 new characters from her past, along with 4 other regular actors for the new show.

Let me get my frustrations with the episode off my chest first. It was all a ploy for ABC to set up this new spinoff, see how well it would work on screen, and prepare Kate Walsh for a transfer over from Seattle Grace to the least realistic medical center in the world. And it is located in Los Angeles. Now, I thought Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place was a major unrealistic portrayal of life in Los Angeles (and The OC is another story completely), but now they try to throw a medical practice into the mix, and it all goes to hell. There is drama over questioning a baby's father, a failed marriage, a hot male secretary, and a bunch of beautiful doctors who never seem to dress appropriately for work. The office seems more like a social scene than a place of business.

Then what better place for Addison to move than to this brothel of sexual tension and conflict?

It seems very far fetched. Not that I won't watch it...if it is written by the same team for Grey's Anatomy, there is no way the show could not succeed. I don't think it could be as successful as Grey's because of the controversy surrounding the show, Kate Walsh leaving Grey's, and the general animocity viewer's may take toward a spinoff...the belief that nothing could be as good as the original.

But when was the last time we saw a decent spinoff? I'm not talking The Hills, The Bachelorette, or even House Hunters: International (ok, that last one may be a bit far fetched). Seriously, though, spinoffs can be successful, but have there been any that are just as successful, or more successful, than the original? I can't think of any. And it has been a while since there was a genuine spinoff that wasn't reality based, so it seems like there is potential for this to catch the eye of many people.

While it may not have the originality of a brand new series, Private Practice has one of the most loveable characters from one of the most popular series on air, starting a brand new life in a new city. It has characters who are already familiar with a lead, and this episode set up a great basis for a new series with plenty of drama to go around.

And how can you argue with the stellar cast? Kate Walsh, Taye Diggs (yum! score 1), Tim Daly (yum!, The Nine, score 2), Merrin Dungey (Alias, Summerland, score 3), Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy, score 4), Chris Lowell (yum! Life As We Know It, score 4). And that's just the principal cast. In this episode (is it wrong to consider is a pilot?), am I wrong for thinking that David Anders (Sark from Alias) was a featured role?

I'm sure the show will center more around the drama between characters than the medical issues that a larger hospital like Seattle Grace can better master, but hey, I'll watch it!